Chương 142: Chapter 134 – Arguing with the Babysitter

Chelsea glanced toward Adriane, who was smiling at her, then looked back at Liam. The knight appeared completely bewildered by the entire exchange.

"Your Majesty," Chelsea said slowly, "might I inquire which specific accomplishment you're referring to? Honestly, four come to mind from the past few days." The king looked toward Adriane. She only shrugged.

"Yes, I'm referring to you reaching S-class with the Merchant's Guild. Many kingdoms are going to reach out to buy your services, and I'd like to be the first to offer you a permanent position."

"While I appreciate the offer, I don't think that'll be possible. I don't mind stopping by to look at your finances and helping where I can, though." The king laughed.

"Of course. Your primary residence is in Valhalla, after all. I'd appreciate any aid you'd be willing to give." Chelsea gave him a curtsy. The princess spoke in her usual soft voice.

"What are the other three accomplishments?"

"Hmm?" Chelsea asked, looking toward her.

"You said there were four. What are the other three?" the princess demanded in that same small voice. Prince William leaned toward her and whispered something Chelsea couldn't hear. From his expression, it looked as though he was scolding her.

"Oh! Those." Chelsea shifted her weight.

"Uh, so, on my birthday, we welcomed my new baby cousin, who happens to be a reincarnation. Also on my birthday, the God of Battle, Freya, proposed to me. I said yes. So we're now betrothed." The other three royals stared at her with wide eyes. The princess recovered first.

"Surely you're joking?"

"Mom?" Chelsea asked, turning toward Adriane.

"It's the truth. I'm going to have a goddess for a daughter-in-law," Adriane said. Her eyes moved over Chelsea's altered appearance.

"I'm guessing the last of the news is why your horns and wings look different?"

"Oh! I almost forgot about that one. Yeah, I went ahead and evolved my class." Chelsea looked toward her mother.

"How is Amber doing?" The queen spoke before Adriane could answer.

"You evolved past a Valkyr? What comes after Valkyr? I didn't know there was such a thing."

"Yeah. There isn't anything directly above Valkyr. It's more of a diagonal move. It even changed my race. Bodarex said that was totally a demon thing."

"You speak of the gods as though they're people anyone can speak to," the princess said.

"What did you evolve into?"

"Sorry, I think I skipped that." Chelsea smiled.

"I'm the new Holy Empress." The king, queen, prince, princess, and Adriane all gasped together. Even Liam seemed to stiffen behind Chelsea.

"I know! Not quite as cool-sounding as The Silver Sword," Chelsea said with a small shimmy of her head.

"Have you traveled to the Holy City yet?" the king asked.

"Yeah. I evolved after they sentenced me to death for helping all of the orphanages. Sophy… she's the Goddess of Love, said to evolve whenever I was in trouble in the Holy City, and it would be a get-out-of-jail-free card."

"Are we supposed to bow?" Prince William quietly asked his father.

"No! Please don't." Chelsea raised both hands. She looked toward Adriane, who still appeared stunned by the news.

"It's very new, and I wanted to come let my family know."

"That would make this gentleman the head of the Holy Knights, then?" the king asked, though his tone made it sound more like a statement. Chelsea glanced back at Liam.

"Yeah. This is, uh, the lord… uh…" She waved one hand toward him.

"Can you do it? I met too many military people today."

"Of course. I'm the Lord Commander of the Holy Knights, Sir Liam."

"Basically, I have a new babysitter," Chelsea said with a sigh.

"Your Grace," Liam began.

"Ah, ah." Chelsea held up one wagging finger.

"Miss Chelsea, I'm your sworn protector and bodyguard."

"Don't take the title of babysitter so poorly. My mother is Adriane Wixx. I dragged her all over creation while she was protecting me. She was my babysitter. Now you are." She turned back toward the king and queen.

"So, let's make a trade. I'll be happy to assist with any financial help I can if you'll help me run a kingdom. I have no clue how to run a castle, let alone an empire." The king rubbed his chin as he considered her offer.

"You've already been a tremendous boon to our economy. I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you might have. Additionally, if you could look over our financial records, I'd welcome the assistance."

"The fuck is going on in here?" Bea entered the room with Edgar at her side. She stopped when she noticed the four royals gathered with Adriane.

"King and Queen Juice! It's been too long." Her attention shifted to Prince William.

"Oh, damn, the whelp you keep trying to throw at our family grew up!"

"Bea!" Adriane admonished.

"What?" Bea exclaimed giving a small shrug with her hands.

"Miss Beatrix. Mister Edgar," the king said, clearly unsure how to respond to her greeting.

"Always a pleasure." Bea looked around the room until she spotted Chelsea. Her eyes widened, and she immediately crossed the distance between them.

"What the hell did you do? You actually don't look like a demon now." She reached up and grabbed Chelsea's right horn. Liam stepped forward the instant Bea touched her. Chelsea raised one hand to stop him. Bea noticed the movement and arched an eyebrow.

"Aunt Bea…"

"Is this your new fuck buddy?" Bea interrupted. She turned and stared directly at Liam.

"You and the muscle goddess have a falling o…" Her head whipped back toward Chelsea.

"What the fuck did you do? Why the fuck is there a Holy Knight in our house?"

"First off, you can read? Second off, if you let me ex—""No, no, let me guess." Bea adopted a mocking tone.

"Chelsea Wixx became the next Holy Empress." Chelsea grimaced through gritted teeth, giving a small apologetic smile. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Bea stared at her.

"You became the new fucking Holy Empress!?" She released Chelsea's horn and stormed out of the room. A moment later, her voice carried in from the hall.

"Why the fuck does everything good happen to her?"

"Sorry about her," Edgar said.

"If you'll excuse us." He bowed and followed Bea out of the room.

"His mask creeps me out so much," the princess said quietly.

"Adriane, your family is always so stimulating," the queen said, hiding her laughter behind one hand.

"That's a nice way of putting it," Adriane replied.

"Miss Ch… uh, Wi… Your Grace?" Prince William began, clearly uncertain how he was supposed to address her.

"I'm curious what you're the Holy Empress of. Arithmetic? Knowledge? Niceness?" Chelsea laughed at the last suggestion.

"The Forgotten Children. Basically, orphans."

"Ah!" The king smiled.

"That's very fitting. I've heard about your charity work here in the kingdom. It warmed my heart to hear what you've done." For a moment, Chelsea considered asking why the royal family hadn't done more for the orphanages themselves. After what had happened in the Holy City, she suspected she already knew part of the answer. Helping without the Church's permission apparently created its own problems. Chelsea gave him a curtsy.

"Actually, it's not just here in Junstruce," Adriane added.

"She's aided orphanages in several kingdoms."

"So you just have to buy a bunch of orphanages, and you get to become the Empress?" the princess asked. Whatever issue she had with Chelsea, she seemed determined to make it known today.

"Having the blessings of four different gods, including one of the Big Six, helps too," Chelsea replied with her most charming smile. The blessing from the Goddess of Doorways hadn't contributed to the evolution prompt, but the princess didn't need to know that. Four gods sounded far more impressive than three.

"We hope to have a wonderful relationship with the Church moving forward," Queen Juice said. She gave her daughter a pointed look.

"Of course. Junstruce is my favorite kingdom in the world. This kingdom welcomed me with open arms, even with my heritage," Chelsea replied.

"For now, if you'll all excuse me, I'm going to check on my baby cousin." They exchanged brief goodbyes before Chelsea hurried toward the stairs. Ivy and Liam followed her up, while Rose chose to remain at the bottom and rest.

"She's really a reincarnation?" Ivy asked as they climbed.

"Remember that friend I told you about from back in my hometown?" Chelsea replied.

"No way! Seriously?" Ivy nearly yelled.

"I'm pretty sure Bodarex and Magalesa did it to fuck with me."

"How is she a reincarnation if she's from this world?" Liam asked.

"I was summoned to this world, actually. Another fun new fact that makes up Chelsea Wixx." Liam fell silent as he processed that information. The three of them reached Fiona and Dewey's room. Chelsea could hear a relaxed voice from the other side of the door, so she knocked lightly.

"Come in," Fiona called. Chelsea opened the door slowly, careful not to make too much noise.

"Hey, you two," she said to Fiona and Amber.

"How is she doing?"

"Ask her yourself." Fiona looked past Chelsea and gasped.

"Ivy? You're back!" Chelsea left Fiona and Ivy to their reunion and moved closer to Amber.

"Eyes open for yes and closed for no. Is everything going okay?" Amber kept her eyes open.

"Oh, wonderful. I'm so glad to hear it." Chelsea leaned in a little closer.

"Time for a real tough one. Which one of these two is a Taylor Swift lyric? Eyes open for the first one. Eyes closed for the second." She cleared her throat.

"I came in like a wreckin…" Amber closed her eyes before Chelsea could finish.

"Seriously? At least let me finish." Amber opened her eyes again and stared at her. Chelsea looked up at Fiona.

"So, there have been some new events that have come to light that move the timetable for the soul thing forward a ton. Meaning, like, now-ish. If we don't, then I doubt I'll be able to do it with all of you." Fiona's expression became thoughtful.

"And you're sure it's safe?"

"Positive. Freya would never do anything to hurt her," Chelsea said.

"Where's Uncle Dewey?"

"He just went to get us something to eat. He should be back any minute."

"Have you two discussed it? I don't want to assume he's okay with it."

"Oh, no. He wants to do it more than you, it seems," Fiona explained.

"He wants to talk to her and express how much he loves her."

"He knows she can understand him, right?" Chelsea asked with a laugh.

"He kind of gets it, I think. He doesn't quite understand completely, though. I'm hoping she can explain that to him." Chelsea glanced toward the door, expecting Dewey to enter, but it remained closed.

"Oh, I haven't introduced you." She gestured toward Liam.

"Liam, this is my aunt Fiona. Aunt Fiona, this is Liam. He's doing his best Adriane impression. Babysitter gig."

"Ah!" Fiona said before furrowing her brows.

"Chels, why do you need a bodyguard? You're a Valkyr." Chelsea let out a nervous giggle.

"Oh, hey, I have a new trick. Want to see me summon the fiancée?" She hoped the sudden change in subject would prevent any further questions. Chelsea stood and focused on an empty space in the room.

"Freya." Freya appeared instantly with her back turned. Outside the Holy City, she no longer carried the bright orange glow. She looked around in confusion before turning toward Chelsea.

"Chels?" she asked.

"Everything okay?"

"It sure is. It seems we need to do the soul communication with Amber, like, now? Both Fiona and Dewey are up for it." Chelsea held up one finger.

"Hold on." She knelt beside Amber again.

"Open for yes, closed for no. Do you want to do this?" Amber stared at her without blinking.

"There you have it," Chelsea said.

"I'm sorry, Miss Chelsea, but I can't allow a second location," Liam said. Chelsea whipped her head toward him.

"I say we do go, so we do," she said firmly.

"We'll be in the Hall of the Valkyr. Literally safer than anywhere else in the world for me. Plus, you're some sort of S-class bodyguard. Guard me. I want to at least get my money's worth out of you." Liam stared Chelsea down, clearly unhappy with her choice. Before either of them could continue the argument, the door opened and Dewey entered carrying a large platter piled with meat and cooked potatoes. His eyes lit up the moment he saw Chelsea standing beside Fiona and Amber.

"Littlest Niece Chelsea! Thank you for grabbing and changing Amber this morning. That was a wonderful gift."

"Of course. Hey, want to talk to Amber? Now?" Dewey stopped so abruptly that the inertia from the platter almost made it topple. His eyes widened as he surveyed the crowded room.

"I, uh…" He looked toward Fiona. She gave him a small nod.

"Yes! Yes, please." Dewey turned toward Freya.

"Is that okay, Lady Freya?"

"I've been ready since she was born," Freya replied. Dewey carefully set the platter aside, his attention already fixed on Amber.

"Ivy, want to go or stay here?" Chelsea asked.

"I think I'll stay to keep Miss Rose company," Ivy replied.

"Okay. Can you let my mother know what's going on?" Ivy nodded and slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"He has to go?" Freya asked, nodding toward Liam.

"Yes," Chelsea said with a sigh. Freya pointed toward the floor and held her hand there for several seconds. Lines of light spread beneath them, slowly forming a magic circle large enough to hold most of the group.

"Sir Liam, please step in," Chelsea directed. Liam hesitated, but only briefly. He stepped into the circle and positioned himself beside Chelsea. Freya stomped once. The room vanished. Chelsea found herself standing in the same place where she had first appeared in Valhalla. The familiar open sky stretched above them, filled with stars despite the daylight. The Hall of the Valkyr stood ahead, exactly as imposing as it had been the first time she saw it. Dewey and Fiona stared around them with open wonder.

Fiona held Amber close while Dewey slowly turned in place, taking in the field and the massive structure beyond it.

"Is that the Hall of the Valkyr right there?" Fiona whispered to Dewey.

"Welcome to Valhalla," Chelsea said.

"Yes. This is the Hall. We'll be heading inside now."

"Are we allowed to?" Dewey asked.

"Uncle Dewey, you literally have the Goddess of Battle herself leading you in there. Do you think someone is going to try to stop you?"

"Well. No, I guess not." He wasn't looking at Chelsea when he answered. His attention had already moved back to the Hall and the figures traveling across the distant grounds. Freya led them toward the entrance. Dewey and Fiona followed closely, still looking around with the fascination of people who had never expected to see Valhalla outside of stories. They climbed the broad steps and entered through the front doors. Freedom and Law sat together at one of the tables, eating.

Both Valkyr looked up as the group entered. Chelsea waved. Freedom returned it without hesitation, while Law continued watching the unfamiliar visitors with quiet interest.

"Hey, are Suffering or Deceit in their room?" Chelsea asked Freya.

"Both of them are," she replied.

"Perfect." Freya led them toward the stairs. At the top, Chelsea hurried ahead to Suffering and Deceit's door. She stopped in front of it and knocked quietly. Knocking on a Valkyr's door was considered inappropriate unless the matter was urgent or the visitor had been directly invited. Chelsea hoped this counted as important enough. The door opened only a few inches. Suffering peered through the gap.

"Havoc? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I need your help with something. Can you bring Deceit too?" Suffering looked past Chelsea and noticed Freya standing in the hallway without her helmet. Her posture straightened immediately.

"Of course. Let us get dressed." The door closed again. Chelsea turned back toward the group. Dewey and Fiona were still studying the hallway, lingering over the detailed carvings and the doors belonging to the different Valkyr. Chelsea looked down at Amber in Fiona's arms and gave her a small wave. The door behind her opened. Suffering and Deceit stepped into the hallway, both now fully dressed.

"What happened to your horns and wings? You look more like a seraphim than a demon now."

"I'll explain in a little while. Right now, I need you two to act as a buffer for us. I just need you to hang out outside of Freya's room with Sir Liam here." Liam's head snapped toward Chelsea.

"I don't want any of the other Valkyr getting… you know how they get. The rest of us need to go into Freya's room. He's going to wait outside."

"Miss Ch… Havoc," Liam began. Chelsea approved of how quickly he corrected himself.

"You can't go in without me."

"Are you afraid an assassin will sneak into Freya's domain?" Chelsea asked.

"This is something Wixx-related, not other-stuff-related. It's an intimate family moment, and you're not allowed to go in." Liam's jaw tightened.

"It's fine," Suffering said.

"She's practically lived in there for the last few months."

"I'll wait outside, then." Liam looked down at Chelsea.

"You're really pressing the extent of what's acceptable." Chelsea gave him a huge smile.

"Good man." She turned toward Suffering and Deceit.

"Thank you so much. We shouldn't be too long."

"Take all the time you need. We were just going to take a n…" Deceit's eyes shifted toward Freya.

"Thinking about going down to do some training, but this seems really important."

"Uh-huh," Chelsea said with a giggle. They continued to the end of the hallway. Liam remained outside with Suffering and Deceit while Chelsea, Freya, Fiona, Dewey, and Amber entered the room. Chelsea noticed that the space had changed again. Faux paintings of her and Freya now hung throughout the room, each depicting moments they had shared together. Some showed memories Chelsea recognized immediately.

In several of them, Freya had originally been in her smaller Ashleigh form, but the paintings portrayed her in her full goddess appearance instead. Chelsea smiled at the alteration. It was a nice touch. Fiona and Dewey stood near the entrance, looking around the strange domain while keeping Amber between them. The significance of what they were about to do seemed to settle over both of them, replacing their earlier excitement with nervous anticipation.

Freya moved farther into the room and turned to face the family.

"Okay. I'm going to begin," she declared.